The Arkham Knight
by parogoxon
Summary: When villains reunite and the city has gone haywire, it's up to one man to put a stop to all this. Will the villains have the upper hand now they have united forces with a mysterious new enemy?
1. Sad to see the young lost

**Hey all : ), I started an earlier Arkham Knight story here but didn't like the direction it was going and thanks to a new gameplay video Rocksteady released I seemed to get a plot detail wrong, now I can assure you I'm not going to start a new story every time I get slightly off canon but this was also an excuse to get rid of that earlier crappier story so yeah. Hope you enjoy!**

" _Who is it?"_ Jim asked through his cell phone. Lieutenant Copper took the wet plastic and removed it. "Identification impossible. Victim is male in his mid twenties. So sad to see the young lost, over." Why did it always have to rain in Gotham? Especially during days like these it was just a sign of bad luck. Not that Gotham was known for its luck but rain meant worse luck. _"Understood,"_ Jim said. " _I'm sending a team to recover the body. Can you some down to the station? Over."_ Copper put his phone back in his pocket and was looking for his keys.

"Unrecognizable body, officer?" A man standing behind him asked. Copper could see him through the reflection in his car window. "That's lieutenant to you. You're going to take a few steps back from the body, sir." Copper said. His throat was dry and he swallowed. He had only been lieutenant for a few days and it felt weird to be giving out orders like this. "Of course, of course." The man replied. He took a few steps back and disappeared from the reflection. Copper turned around and saw the guy he was talking to more clearly. He was wearing what looked like a hoodie, a trench coat? It was all worn and brown with small rips in it. "You one of the homeless?" Copper asked. "You could say that. My home was destroyed." The figure replied. "I see, I'm going to be needing your name, sir?" "Jonathan." The figure replied. "Last?" "Crane." That name sounded familiar but Copper couldn't place it. Where had he heard it before? The moonlight reflected nicely on Jonathan's robe, coat, whatever it was. "You ever have been in contact with the GCPD before?" Copper asked. Jonathan nodded. "Yes, you could say that. We've had a few," There was a pause. "appointments." Copper nodded. "And now, your house. Where'd you say it was?" "I didn't." Jonathan replied calmly. "But I can assure you, 'lieutenant' that Arkham Asylum was a lovely establishment. Now tell me, what's your biggest fear?'

Something suddenly clicked in Copper's head, Crane, The Scarecrow. He quickly reached for his gun only to find out it had disappeared. "Don't even try." Crane said as he threw a gun into the river. "You know, I always like to stick around once I injected my victims with fear gas. Just to see what their reaction is, what their biggest secret is. So tell me, what's yours?" Copper felt a small creature walk on his shoes, looked down and noticed there was a large spider on it. "Spiders? And that's a lieutenant's worst fear?" Crane's distorted voice spoke. "So sad to see the young lost."

 _GCPD Station, West end Gotham_

" _This is lieutenant Copper, coming soon. Over"_ Jim laid his phone on his desk and looked at the picture of Barbara he had on it. She had grown up so well. Even the Joker couldn't stop her. Perhaps she owned that character of hers to her mother, who knows?

Harvey Bullock smashed the door open. "Jim, you need to see this."

He followed Harvey over to the garage of the station. In it was a huge whiteboard with various post it notes attached to it. "Cash and some earlier Arkham staff maintained this huge whiteboard covering all of the recent movements

of Gotham's criminals." Jim looked over at Cash. "It's a huge task, but someone's gotta do it." Jim nodded and thanked him. On it were various locations and names.

 _Scarecrow – Missing_

 _Poison ivy – Blüdhaven_

 _Harley Quinn – Missing_

 _Killer Croc – Missing, most likely in sewers_

 _Penguin – Operating in Iceberg Lounge_

 _Joker – Cremated_

 _Firefly – Recently broke out_

 _Two - Face – Missing_

 _Riddler – Missing_

 _Mr. Freeze – Locked up, East End Station_

Jim inspected the board and nodded. "And why do I need to see this?" Cash replied, "There's a certain pattern in here. Isn't it odd how big shot's like Harley, Riddler, Two - Face and Scarecrow all have gone missing right after Arkham City?" Jim understood his point. "You think they're all sharing a hideout?" "Precisely." Cash replied. "Now our suspicions were the heavily guarded Iceberg Lounge, but,-" "But that doesn't fit Penguin's MO." Jim interrupted. "Exactly. So we figured it's gotta be one of the other guys out there that's providing the place." Jim noticed one of the post its. "Scarecrow is missing? Wasn't he confirmed dead back at the Asylum?" Cash shook his head. "Body was never found, Croc recalls leaving him in a state of live, for whatever reason." "Odd." Jim said. "We're going to have to eliminate a few possibilities then.

After a rough few hours of sitting behind desks, the whiteboard looked like this :

 _Scarecrow – Missing (Dead?)_

 _Poison Ivy –Blüdhaven_ _(locked up, couldn't provide shelter.)_

 _Harley Quinn – Missing_ _(Too unpredictable, wouldn't be trusted)_

 _Killer Croc – Missing, most likely in sewers_ _(Too wild, wouldn't be trusted)_

 _Penguin – Operating in Iceberg Lounge_ _(Doesn't fit MO)_

 _Joker – Cremated_ _(Finally dead)_

 _Firefly – Recently broke out_ _(Too small. Wouldn't have been able to)_

 _Two - Face – Missing_ _(50/50 is not a chance most villains would like to take)_

 _Riddler – Missing_ _(Unpredictable, annoying as well)_

 _Mr. Freeze – Locked up, East End Station_ _(Locked up, doesn't care about others)_

"So we think Scarecrow is teaming them all up? Wouldn't he be one of our least likely suspects? Considering his fear thing and all?" Jim shook his head. "No, Crane was weird but he wouldn't inject one of his fellow villains, most of them could beat him at combat quite easily." Jim clapped his hands together and walked over to the roof access stairs. "Time to contact Batman."


	2. I am The Batman

" _Unintelligent rodent,"_ Riddler thought. " _he must've cheated, it's the only way he could win, but how? How did he cheat my genu,-"_ His device started beeping. Riddler picked up the pace and walked around the room. This was far from over. If Batman thought he could leave Edward Nigma like this the Bat was sadly mistaken. Perhaps he grew overconfident now that he finally took down Hugo Strange. Confidence is weakness. He stared at his moving feet. His device, his own intellectual device was being used against him. The machine beeped again and Riddler looked in front of him. The sensor inside the device had seen the human who was observing him in the corner of the room. "Get out of my way or I'll explode!" Riddler shouted.

" _And that would truly be a shame, now wouldn't it?"_ The man asked. Edward couldn't quite make out who was observing him as the darkness prevented him from seeing a face. "Who-who are you?" Edward asked nervously. " _An old friend._ " The eerie voice spoke. "Well, if my friend would be so kind as to free me?" Riddler suggested. He had gotten sick of this. He walked past the hooded figure. " _No, not yet. I need to know a few things first._ " "Great friend you are." He complained. "What do you want to know?" _"I'm creating a plan, a plan to hold Gotham by its throat and get rid of the caped crusader guarding her._ " Riddler laughed. "Get in line, like that hasn't been done before." The hooded figure stepped out of the shadow and moved towards the device. " _Do you want to be freed, Nigma? I'd strongly recommend you start to cooperate with me. I've thought of a plan like no other, to bring the worst of the worst together and end this all. My plan however, requires brains, a think-tank of sorts if you will. Right now I am your only hope of survival so pick your words carefully."_ Riddler shook his head. "I'm going to take down the Bat myself, I don't need he,-"The man stood in front of the sensor and Riddler's device began beeping. "I'll do it! I'll do it! Just don't do that again!" _"A smart move, I wouldn't have expected anything else from the self-proclaimed smartest man alive._ "

The man grabbed Riddler by his arm and dragged him out his hideout. The sun shone upon them and the man removed his hood. Now Riddler could see the true terror that was dragging him along. "You look,-"There was a slight pause. "Terrifying." "I'm going to take that as a compliment." Jonathan Crane spoke.

Outside his hideout multiple villains were waiting. Riddler recognized Harley Quinn, who was now by far one of Gotham's most famous widows. Poison Ivy was standing beside her. Her skin was a lighter shade of green then Riddler remembered it to be, and he remembered everything. Arkham City had torn the both of them down. Two-Face and Penguin were standing on the other side. The two gang leaders had been at war ever since the Arkham City project started but had seemed to embrace their differences and actually looked like friends. In the middle was a man Riddler had never seen before, the suit he wore resembled that of the Bat. This suit however was grey with slight hints of red in the pants and chest plate.

"Great, ya got Eddie out. Now could you tell us more about this bozo over here?" Harley complained. "All in due time, Miss Quinzel." Scarecrow spoke. "You do need to know any more about him than this. He is here to help us and he can be trusted. That is all I am willing to tell you about him."

Ivy looked skeptical. "Aren't we going to get more people out? I recall Bane being locked up in the toy factory." "Bane is a brute, Pamela, and I'd say that with this army, I'd say we've got quite the advantage already."

 _Uptown Gotham, Founders Island, in front of Elliot Memorial Hospital_

"Can't say I'm surprised to see you here." The blonde spoke, she was slightly irritated. "You kidding me? This is going to be the big, Vale, you and I both know it." The man with glasses spoke. "John, how's our camera holding up?" 'John' who was carrying the camera gave a thumbs up and the man began to report. "This is Jack Ryder live in front of Elliot Memorial Hospital where Bruce Wayne just announced a major press event. According to a spokesperson, Bruce is about to unveil one of his largest secrets that could change our everyday live. What will it be? Did Bruce Wayne kill his own parents? Did he get one of his one-night stands pregnant? In 15 minutes, we will know! Stay tuned, Gotham! Back to the studio!" Vicky rolled her eyes. "Really, killed his own parents? Kid was, what, Eight?" "You never know in this town Vicky." Jack stated, keeping his eyes focused on the small stage in front of them. A huge crowd has assembled already. Vicky spotted news vans all the way from Metropolis and Central City.

A small woman stepped in front of the microphone located on the stage and began a small speech. Vicky barely listened. It had to do with saving the environment and all that. Wayne Enterprises was really interested in that for some reason.

" _Also, we regret to inform you that Mr. Wayne will not be here in person today, but will instead give his speech on this screen."_

There was a small uproar from the crowd until a screen appeared on the stage. It turned on and Bruce Wayne appeared. Now there was an even bigger uproar from the crowd. Jack and Vicky both instinctively turned to their camera's and began to report. "Wayne will not be here in person." One reporter began shouting. "Scars on his face. Did Wayne get plastic surgery?" Another one asked. Bruce Wayne looked like a hot mess. Someone who had just survived one of Gotham's biggest bar fights.

" _Good evening, Gotham. My name is Bruce Wayne, as you are no doubt aware. I have a confession to make. Long I have been benefiting from the money my parents left me. I was undeserving, spoiled, selfish. I still am."_ Vicky felt like something was off. She had just spoken to Bruce a few days ago, he didn't have the scars, and he had too big an ego to be talking about himself like this.

" _Initially, I promised to only reveal one of my many secrets, but today, ladies and gentleman of Gotham, I will reveal two of them. I gunned down my parents._ "

A large gasp from the crowd followed, and then there was silence.

" _There was no burglar, no threats. I saw a gun lying down on the floor. I don't know what came over me, but I, - I couldn't live like that anymore. My parents were rich and rubbed it in everyone's faces. Including mine, I didn't get to spend one single penny. I had to it Gotham. Then, the guilt started. I made up a small story and everyone believed me, but they were lies. I needed to clear my conscious. I needed to be someone else. What I'm trying to say, Gotham, is that I am The Batman."_

 **A/N : Sorry for the small hiatus, but let me give you a quick status update. Having finished the actual game I needed to figure out where this story needed to go. As you might've seen it's going in a different direction, which is something I enjoy doing. This includes the identity of the Arkham Knight. In short, my Arkham Knight isn't the person who is the Arkham Knight in the game. While I'm not going to spoil who it is in both my story and in that of the game, I can tell you that whoever's behind that mask in my story is NOT a custom character.**


	3. Take me on home

Scarecrow escorted the group out of the remains of Arkham City. Harley and Ivy were walking next to each other. Ivy had quite a few doubts about working together and so did Harley. They've tried to team up plenty of times but there was always that one criminal who screwed everyone over in the end, and he's dead. "So, you're Scarecrow's new toy?" Ivy asked the Arkham Knight. He did not respond or even look at Ivy. "Pam, leave 'im alone!" Harley said, noticing the Knight's anger. Ivy backed off and started walking next to Harley again. "I just don't get it, why name your alter ego after a prison? Does the Asylum have some sort of secret fan base? What's his connection to the place?" Harley shrugged and paid the question no mind. "So how've things been since..You know." Ivy asked. "Everything's different." Harley muttered under her breath. "I was devastated at first, tried to kidnap B-man, Bird-Brain showed up and ruined everything, of course. Now I'm just trying to keep everyone together. I've heard the rumors, ya know? About goons wanting to team up with Two-Face or Oswald." She nodded her head into their direction. "They're growing Ivy, alarmingly fast, and ya know what happens to weed once it grows too fast." Harley made a small chopping motion with her hand. Ivy wanted to give a long speech about why you shouldn't destroy weed but contained herself. "You saying we should shut them down?" Harley pursed her lips and nodded silently. Ivy gave the idea some thought and continued to walk forward. "Now," Scarecrow began as they reached the exit of Arkham City. "We are Arkham, we are all that remains from that forsaken Asylum. We are the Arkhamites. We shall unify our group as one, and we will finally take down the Bat. "Arkhamites? That's the best you could come up with?" Riddler mocked. "Anyone who does not abode by my rules, shall be punished." Scarecrow replied, inspecting the needle glove on his hand. Riddler looked down at his feet.

"We're still missing a few 'remnants' Jonathan." Two-Face remarked. "Very observant, Harvey. Some will not be joining us. Some are unable too. For now we will rule Gotham as a group of six. The others will soon learn that we are not to be messed with." "Oi! Six? You seriously letting this bozo join in on the fun?" Penguin snarled, gesturing towards the Arkham Knight. "He's got a point, Jonny. He ain't even been through all the crap we've had to put up with back at the Asylum." "No," Scarecrow spoke. "he's been trough far worse."

 _Outskirts of Gotham City, Wayne Manor_

Bruce turned the TV off.

Bruce opened the fridge and grabbed something to eat.

Bruce opened the microwave and put his food in it.

Bruce took out his food.

Bruce was broken.

"Master Wayne, the news,-"Alfred could tell by his eyes Bruce already knew. "I don't care, Alfred. Please leave." Bruce muttered. "Master Wayne, it's been four weeks,-"

"Leave."

Alfred left the living room and closed the door.

Talia opened the door and sat left of Bruce, behind her was Joker who was sitting on the right side. "Look at him, I love it!" Joker shouted with glee. "You have to stop this, you know you do, my love." "No,no,no,no! Let crime pollute the streets Brucey! Let chaos rule this city! Why would you even bother getting up? It's not like you'll change anything, am I right? Sure, you could get up, beat up a couple of good ol' thugs who are then picked up by the cops and escape, say, 2 weeks later. ""Or you could get off this couch and become a symbol of hope. I know you saw the sword, Bruce. You know my father is still alive. You know Harley wants payback, you know Croc is still out there! Damn it Bruce! Why are you still sitting here?!" Talia snapped.

 _GCPD Station, Gotham's West end_

"Sir, we've just received a call. Ivy escaped her cell in Blüdhaven. Harley Quinn aided her escape. Nightwing was notified, but the duo managed to strike him down. Gordon slammed his fist down at the table. Why was he not showing up? The Batsignal had been up there for hours, yet no one showed up. Not even his little helpers. Gordon gestured for the police agent to leave and was once again alone in his office. He dialed Barbara's number. No answer. "Hi Barb, it's uh,- it's dad. It's gonna be a long night, I don't know when I'll be home. There's uh, we've got pizza if you want. I'll see you soon."

" _Unidentified acces, intruder detected, unidentified acces, intruder detected. Evidence room, cabinet C-4."_ The intercom roared. Gordon grabbed his gun and ran towards the evidence room, as did almost half of the officers on duty. The door was shut. "You are surrounded, hands where we can see them!" Gordon shouted. All in all, around twenty officers were pointing their gun at the door. The glass inside the door revealed a shadow to be walking around in the room. "Should we open it, sir?" Officer Mandoza asked. Gordon shook his head. "Not yet." "Get out, now!" Bullock roared. Bullock kicked in the door. The room had been filled with smoke, the figure had escaped. "Damn it, If we'd been sooner we would've caught the bastard!" Bullock shouted at Gordon and left the room in anger." "Cabinet C-4? Who's cabinet is that anyway?" Cash asked. "Bane's." Gordon muttered. He had been memorizing the cabinets in his spare time, would something like this ever occur."We think Bane broke in here?" Cash raised his eyebrow. "No way, Bane wouldn't escape using smoke. Cash, open the cabinet, see what's missing." Gordon ordered. "Everyone, stay vigilant, the intruder might still be here." "Sir, nothing's gone missing." Cash reported. "You sure?" Gordon asked. "Something was added." Cash grabbed a CD left in the cabinet. "I've got a computer on my desk, might be able to determine what's on here." Cash said.

Almost all of the GCPD was grouped around Cash's desk, all eagerly awaiting the contents of the CD. Cash opened the CD player and put the CD in. Bullock decided to join the group. "What's this?" He asked, Mendoza gestured for him to be quiet. A window popped up and Cash clicked play.

" _Take me on home to the Asylum, never alone in the Asylum."_


	4. Your final warning

Scarecrow escorted the group out of the remains of Arkham City. Harley and Ivy were walking next to each other. Ivy had quite a few doubts about working together and so did Harley. They've tried to team up plenty of times but there was always that one criminal who screwed everyone over in the end, and he's dead. "So, you're Scarecrow's new toy?" Ivy asked the Arkham Knight. He did not respond or even look at Ivy. "Pam, leave 'im alone!" Harley said, noticing the Knight's anger. Ivy backed off and started walking next to Harley again. "I just don't get it, why name your alter ego after a prison? Does the Asylum have some sort of secret fan base? What's his connection to the place?" Harley shrugged and paid the question no mind. "So how've things been since..You know." Ivy asked. "Everything's different." Harley muttered under her breath. "I was devastated at first, tried to kidnap B-man, Bird-Brain showed up and ruined everything, of course. Now I'm just trying to keep everyone together. I've heard the rumors, ya know? About goons wanting to team up with Two-Face or Oswald." She nodded her head into their direction. "They're growing Ivy, alarmingly fast, and ya know what happens to weed once it grows too fast." Harley made a small chopping motion with her hand. Ivy wanted to give a long speech about why you shouldn't destroy weed but contained herself. "You saying we should shut them down?" Harley pursed her lips and nodded silently. Ivy gave the idea some thought and continued to walk forward. "Now," Scarecrow began as they reached the exit of Arkham City. "We are Arkham, we are all that remains from that forsaken Asylum. We are the Arkhamites. We shall unify our group as one, and we will finally take down the Bat. "Arkhamites? That's the best you could come up with?" Riddler mocked. "Anyone who does not abode by my rules, shall be punished." Scarecrow replied, inspecting the needle glove on his hand. Riddler looked down at his feet.

"We're still missing a few 'remnants' Jonathan." Two-Face remarked. "Very observant, Harvey. Some will not be joining us. Some are unable too. For now we will rule Gotham as a group of six. The others will soon learn that we are not to be messed with." "Oi! Six? You seriously letting this bozo join in on the fun?" Penguin snarled, gesturing towards the Arkham Knight. "He's got a point, Jonny. He ain't even been through all the crap we've had to put up with back at the Asylum." "No," Scarecrow spoke. "he's been trough far worse."

 _Outskirts of Gotham City, Wayne Manor_

Bruce turned the TV off.

Bruce opened the fridge and grabbed something to eat.

Bruce opened the microwave and put his food in it.

Bruce took out his food.

Bruce was broken.

"Master Wayne, the news,-"Alfred could tell by his eyes Bruce already knew. "I don't care, Alfred. Please leave." Bruce muttered. "Master Wayne, it's been four weeks,-"

"Leave."

Alfred left the living room and closed the door.

Talia opened the door and sat left of Bruce, behind her was Joker who was sitting on the right side. "Look at him, I love it!" Joker shouted with glee. "You have to stop this, you know you do, my love." "No,no,no,no! Let crime pollute the streets Brucey! Let chaos rule this city! Why would you even bother getting up? It's not like you'll change anything, am I right? Sure, you could get up, beat up a couple of good ol' thugs who are then picked up by the cops and escape, say, 2 weeks later. ""Or you could get off this couch and become a symbol of hope. I know you saw the sword, Bruce. You know my father is still alive. You know Harley wants payback, you know Croc is still out there! Damn it Bruce! Why are you still sitting here?!" Talia snapped.

 _GCPD Station, Gotham's West end_

"Sir, we've just received a call. Ivy escaped her cell in Blüdhaven. Harley Quinn aided her escape. Nightwing was notified, but the duo managed to strike him down. Gordon slammed his fist down at the table. Why was he not showing up? The Batsignal had been up there for hours, yet no one showed up. Not even his little helpers. Gordon gestured for the police agent to leave and was once again alone in his office. He dialed Barbara's number. No answer. "Hi Barb, it's uh,- it's dad. It's gonna be a long night, I don't know when I'll be home. There's uh, we've got pizza if you want. I'll see you soon."

" _Unidentified acces, intruder detected, unidentified acces, intruder detected. Evidence room, cabinet C-4."_ The intercom roared. Gordon grabbed his gun and ran towards the evidence room, as did almost half of the officers on duty. The door was shut. "You are surrounded, hands where we can see them!" Gordon shouted. All in all, around twenty officers were pointing their gun at the door. The glass inside the door revealed a shadow to be walking around in the room. "Should we open it, sir?" Officer Mandoza asked. Gordon shook his head. "Not yet." "Get out, now!" Bullock roared. Bullock kicked in the door. The room had been filled with smoke, the figure had escaped. "Damn it, If we'd been sooner we would've caught the bastard!" Bullock shouted at Gordon and left the room in anger." "Cabinet C-4? Who's cabinet is that anyway?" Cash asked. "Bane's." Gordon muttered. He had been memorizing the cabinets in his spare time, would something like this ever occur."We think Bane broke in here?" Cash raised his eyebrow. "No way, Bane wouldn't escape using smoke. Cash, open the cabinet, see what's missing." Gordon ordered. "Everyone, stay vigilant, the intruder might still be here." "Sir, nothing's gone missing." Cash reported. "You sure?" Gordon asked. "Something was added." Cash grabbed a CD left in the cabinet. "I've got a computer on my desk, might be able to determine what's on here." Cash said.

Almost all of the GCPD was grouped around Cash's desk, all eagerly awaiting the contents of the CD. Cash opened the CD player and put the CD in. Bullock decided to join the group. "What's this?" He asked, Mendoza gestured for him to be quiet. A window popped up and Cash clicked play.

" _Take me on home to the Asylum, never alone in the Asylum."_


	5. Quincy's pride

Quincy stumbled into his office. "Amanda, cancel all my plans for this week." Amanda, his secretary, looked up. "All of them, sir? This is one of the most vital weeks in your campaign!" "All of them." Quincy mumbled as he locked the door behind him. The people of Gotham had made it quite clear they did not want to have him as their mayor. They hadn't forgotten Arkham Asylum or Arkham City. He opened a drawer as the rain hit the windows behind him. He pulled out a small photo of a man that saved him when no one could, Amadeus Arkham. He had never felt a connection quite as strong with Strange. Amadeus was,- is different. Sharp had made it his mission to continue his work, his message to Gotham. Batman, Joker, Penguin, this city, the entire soil this city had been built on, hated them. They needed to be eradicated from the Earth.

"Sir?" Amanda opened his office door. Her head peaking out. "I think it's best if you leave early. Apparently some convicts of both Arkham projects have teamed up and are aiming to take over the city. Quincy chuckled. Taking over the city, how many times hadn't they tried that? Did they ever succeed? "No need, feel free to leave if you want to, my dear. I'll stay here for a little while." Amanda nodded and closed the door.

"That's unwise."

Sharp turned around and caught Poison Ivy sitting on his desk. "You.." Ivy raised her eyebrows. "Me." She stood up and slowly walked towards Sharp, putting a finger on his shoulder. "Leave, while you still can. They're serious this time. The army they have? Incredible. Batman, Nightwing, Robin, they don't stand a chance."

Quincy slowly walked backwards "Wh-why are you helping me?" He stuttered. "Scarecrow wanted you gone, I just do as I'm told." "Scarecrow?! He's alive? I thought he died back in,-""Arkham? We all did." Ivy stated. "I will not leave this city, not because of the likes like you!" Quincy said. Ivy sighed. "Well then, there's a plan B." "W-What?" "Harley! Get in here!"

Quinn slowly opened the door and dropped the dead body of Amanda on his office floor. She unbuckled a camera from her belt and turned it towards Sharp. "And,- We're live!" Quinn said.

"Gotham," Ivy began. "From the ashes of Arkham, so called 'criminals' will rise. We've given a prominent political figure, mister Sharp over here, an option. To either leave this cursed city, or face the consequences. He decided not to leave. Now,-"Ivy grabbed a small seed. "Watch." She put the seed into Sharp's mouth and forced him to swallow it. "This is what happens when you defy The Arkhamites." Ivy put her finger against Sharp's stomach. Sharp felt an aching pain, the vines were rapidly taking over his body. He opened his mouth only for a huge vine to pop out. With her finger, Ivy once again pushed Sharp's stomach, only for him to fall over.

"Joker," Ivy gazed at Harley. "is gone, now we are united as one. There is no stopping us, no bats, no robin's, just pure, total chaos."

 _GCPD Station, Gotham's West End_

The police force was still hurled around Cash's desk. "No." Gordon said under his breath. He walked to the roof of the GCPD and turned the Bat-signal on. Cash came running after him. "Gordon! Yo! You really think it was him?" Gordon felt the rain hit his head. He slowly shook his head. "That was him, he's dead. Right? I cremated him, he has to be dead!" He screamed. Cash calmed him down. "He's dead, you watched his body burn, remember? Maybe this was…Harley or, uh, some very loyal Joker thug." Batman approached the duo, neither of them said a word. All of them were gazing at the incredible view of Gotham they had from up here. "You called?" Batman asked. "You're back at it, huh?" Batman didn't reply, his head was still clouded with the events back in Arkham City. "We, uh, received a tape, think this might be Joker's wo,-" "He's dead." Batman calmly said, a hint of anger in his tone. "I know, but he,-" "Is dead, Jim." Batman once again said. "He's cremated, gone, any crime that looks like it's been commited by him was probably Harley." "What if he's not? What if he's still out there? He broke into one of our evidence lockers!" "Which one?" Batman asked. "C-4, wh,-"Before Gordon could finish his sentence, Batman turned around and headed into the station.

"What are you doing?" Cash shouted. "C-4, locker c-4 contains a knife, they're only usable in close combat, and whoever was robbing that locker had plans for it."

Gordon closely followed him, back down the stairs. They opened the doors and witnessed the menance that had happened the few minutes they were on the roof.

Blood was everywhere, Mandoze was lying on the ground, he tried to reach his hand out to Jim but collapsed.

"No, no, cabinet C-4 was Bane's. Cash reported nothing was missing." Jim stated. "And where is Cash now?" Batman asked, Cash was nowhere to be seen

 **A/N : Sorry for the short chapter : ) Promise a bigger one next time!**


	6. Wrapped in clay

He walked through the cold, wet water. Every step left an echo that spread through the entire hall. He grabbed the basket he was given and filled it with the water he was stepping in, placed the small basket on the altar and kneeled. "It is done, I left the hints. What is your next order?"

"So you've told him about the ashes, about the nightmare that we have foreseen. All that we can do now is wait, my child." The priest hadn't been blind all his life, it was a sacrifice he had to make for Dumas. He never forgot the night two mysterious men entered his home and asked him to join the order. This was far beyond the usual powers he had preached for, Dumas was very real.

"We do, however, have a mission for you of utmost importance. The bat is no concern here." Azrael looked up towards the white eyes of the priest. "Mister Wayne, as you may have known, recently confessed to being a stain upon this city. To having killed his parents and to have been claiming the inheritance. I want you to,-"There was a pause. "end this stain."Azrael nodded. Somewhere, someone was screaming, telling him not to do it, but he couldn't listen. Dumas was holy, everything. "Mister Wayne is a difficult target." Azrael spoke. He knew full well that Bruce Wayne was guarded by a dozen bodyguards, he could pull it off, but it would be a challenge. "Which is why you have been given help with this mission." The priest spoke. Out of the shadows, odd figures emerged. They wore fancy clothes, but masks covered their faces. "We are not the only organization in this city." The priest concluded.

 _GCPD Station, Gotham's East End_

"Those were some serious confessions, Mister Wayne." An officer said. Tommy had been sitting in the interrogation room for a few hours now, they arrested him immediately after his speech. "The truth is serious, officer." "You're in luck I've been paid to look the other way." The officer muttered under his breath. "By whom?" Hush asked. "A new group calling themselves the Arkhamites, they're currently consisting of your buddies Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow, Two-Face, Penguin and the Riddler." Hush laughed and shook his head. "You think these are my friends?" He asked.

He suddenly felt a cold metal on his shoulder. He looked towards it and saw a well known hand resting on it. "No, but we're about to be." Scarecrow replied.

 _Gotham City Founders Island_

"Boost the signal jammers up, get the drones in the sky. This city doesn't want to quit, but I'm going to make it." The Arkham Knight commanded. He wasn't going to let this city stand. Not after everything it had done to him. "Now listen up," He started on the intercom. "Throughout our occuputation, I expect resistance. Bats, Cats, Robins, I want you to kill them all. They don't deserve to live."

It had been raining all night, and The Knight expected it was far from over. He had heard reports that Batman had come out of hiding, he was longing for a challenge. "You've got this quite planned out, I see." Penguin walked onto the rooftop, rubbing his greedy little hands over the slick exterior of a deactivated drone. "It's not for sale." The Knight said. "I ain't here to do business. I wanna know who's behind that mask of yours." Penguin said. "Move along, Cobblepot." Penguin tried to peer through the glass that was covering the Knight's face. "You know what I think is funny?" Penguin began. "No, and I don't care." "Well,-" Penguin said despite the Knight saying no. "We're all accounted for. First, I thought you might be Hush, but he's down there with Scarecrow. You might be Ra's, but he's still experimenting with that Lazurus pit of his. Then a thought hit me, you could be that damn clown bastard, but he got cremated, or at least that's what I've been told. What's yer connection to Arkham, kid?" The Knight looked down, took a deep breath and marched on. "Why aren't these drones up in the sky yet? Scarecrow wants Gotham empty, we're going to give it to him!"

 _GCPD Station, Gotham's West End_

"Gordon, lock down the station. I don't want anyone getting in or out, Cash still has to be here somewhere." Bruce felt this weird sensation in his stomach. Cash had been around since the beginning, since the Asylum. He stuck around in Arkham City too, helping to protect the stranded medical team in the church. Was he just acting around? Was Cash being paid by one of Gotham's underground figures?

"Alfred, put out a wanted alert for Officer Aaron Cash." Bruce spoke into his gauntlet communicator. Alfred had decided to remain in the Batcave, trying to help however he could. Alfred looked shocked. " _The_ Aaron Cash, sir? My, what happened?" Bruce explained the situation, barely believing any of it himself. It all sounded so wrong. Cash was the one who looked into the locker, who pulled out that damn Joker CD. What if he happened to have it his pockets all along? "It shall be done, Sir. Meanwhile, I have rather upsetting news. The 'Arkhamites' have made their presence known by murdering Quincy Sharp, former warden of Arkham Asylum and candidate for the mayor position in Gotham." Bruce wasn't surprised, Sharp could definitely be a problem. He just hoped it wouldn't have come to this.

Bruce noticed the red light beeping and switched calls. "Bruce," Robin spoke. "It's good to see you back out there. The city's been overrun with tanks, drones and all that. Most of it's been evacuated. Someone really wants you dead." Bruce had to suppress a smirk, it wasn't the first time he had heard that. "Not to mention that press conference. I knew it wasn't you the moment you talked, but someone just destroyed your reputation." "His name is Tommy Eliot, he holds a grudge." Batman replied. "Lots of people do, you seem to attract them."Robin stated. "I just saw the alert for Cash. You think he was responsible for the murders?"

"I don't." Batman concluded. "But I do want to have answers for everything he did."

"Huh, that's odd." Gordon muttered while browsing through staff logs on his computer. Bruce ended the call with Tim and joined Gordon. "Cash wasn't even supposed to work today. Said that after City, he wanted some time alone with his wife and kids." Batman checked for himself, and sure enough Aaron Cash was not supposed to be in the police station today. "You know what else is weird? He didn't even clock in. What's the point of showing up to a job like this without getting salary?"

Bruce had to think. Something didn't make sense. He visualized everything, Aaron Cash wasn't supposed to come to work today. Why did he show up? Let's say he was hypnotized, hypnotized to show up to work and to find a way to get the entire station killed. Something didn't add up. Cash was far too cooperative to be under one of Mad Hatter's tricks. Why would someone like Aaron Cash show up to work, unless,-"Bruce turned his detective vision on and began to look around. "Gordon, get your gun out. Aaron Cash wasn't here today. Basil Karlo however, was."

Gordon laughed. His face slowly morphing into Clay "He still is!"

 **A/N : Hey there, thanks for reading! As of now most, if not all, of this story will play from Batman's POV, this due to the Arkham games usually unveiling their plot from Batman's POV. All the big characters in this story have been introduced and you'll read how their plan unfolds. This doesn't mean no more new characters will be introduced, as Gotham City is full of suprises!**


	7. Ace up my sleeve

"Basil? How?" Batman asked, astonished. Last time he saw the clay monstrosity standing in front of him was back in Arkham City. After a though fight, Batman managed to beat Clayface, his body being dropped in Lazarus. He didn't care about the effects it had on the clay, at that time, Bruce had more important matters to attend to.

"Lazarus does wonders, Bat. You should know." Basil coldly stated. The Lazarus had offered him a new perspective on life. It was as if he finally saw the world for what it really was. A laughing stock, and he was the joke. "What did you to Cash? What did you to the Commissioner?" "Handed them over to Scarecrow. The guy said he got big plans for the two of them. War is coming, Bat. Scarecrow's got an army beyond the scale of anything you can imagine. Gotham isn't going to stand a chance."

After Arkham City, inmates began to sue Gotham City for the poor treatment they were in while residing in the facility. Bruce had hired the best attorney's out there in order to defend the city, but even they couldn't protect Gotham from the greedy clutches of criminals. Bruce had to watch while Gotham City was being forced to pay thousands of criminals. After the court case that made even The Daily Bugle, there was silence. It was the silence before the storm, Bruce had just heard whispers, rumors. Apparently Scarecrow managed to persuade some thugs to donate to his cause. Even back then, the guy was bragging about the massive army he was building along with the help of a certain friend. This friend was known as The Arkham Knight. Bruce was only able to catch a glimpse of the costume once. The entire thing felt like a mockery to his own Bat suit. After the glimpse he tried to carefully track the Knight's movements, but failed.

"We both know how this is going to play out, Basil. I will hunt down both Scarecrow and this army of his and take them out." Basil transformed himself into a puddle of clay only to reemerge as the Joker. "Yes, of course you will. Arkham City worked out great too, remember?" He mockingly said. Clayface had been an expert at his craft. Being hired by Joker to portray him back in Arkham City was an honor. It was the first time Joker showed weakness, to hire another villain to play along in his act. Granted, he wasn't quite himself at the time, but still. Not only did it change something about Joker, it changed something about Batman too. The way Batman carried his corpse out that theater. Basil hadn't been there to see it in person, but he heard it was quite the sight to behold. Batman showed weakness.

Bruce pulled out one his Batarangs and aimed it at Clayface. "Enough mind games, Basil. Where is Gordon? Cash?" He shouted. Clayface, now morphing back into himself, just laughed. He bursted into a tiny clay pieces and silently left the station. Batman considered tracking him down but it would cost too much time, time he didn't have.

"Alfred, Cash and Gordon have gone missing. They were kidnapped by Clayface and handed over to Scarecrow. I'll work on tracking them both down."

" _No need, sir. Both Commissioner Gordon and officer Cash have been located, they are situated towards the Botenical Gardens. The Commissioner's phone has been broadcasting a signal that was easy to track for the Batcomputer. Be advised, the garden is under heavy protection."_

"Ivy." Bruce thought to himself.

While journeying through the gothic skyscrapers that belonged to Gotham, Bruce couldn't help but notice the now empty streets. Scarecrow had managed to get the entire city evacuated at a moment's notice. People were afraid, very afraid, of all the things Scarecrow could do to them.

" _Ah, I seem to be picking up the signal too, little Bat. Hunting down your damsels in distress, are you not?"_ Scarecrow spoke. He was being projected onto a billboard opposite of Batman.

" _I have to admit, Gotham has proven to be a worthy opponent. Ivy has gone rogue on the Arkhamites. An unfortunate development, but not quite unexpected, as my new toxin will destroy all plant life in this pathetic dump of a city. What was however unexpected, was that she took my two new hostages along with her. Therefore I offer you this, bring back Poison Ivy, and you can have officer Cash and Commissioner Gordon, as an added bonus I'll throw in three extra hours before I cover this entire city in fear gas._

 _Leave Ivy in her gardens, however, and I'll show you just how vulnerable you really are. I've got quite a few aces up my sleeve, Bat. What about yours?"_

Batman had reached the Gardens. Atop of the giant, glass building were Gordon and Cash. Giant roots however, were protecting the two of them. Or rather keeping them prisoner. "You finally came." Ivy spoke. Back at Arkham Asylum, Ivy had developed the ability to speak through her plants, being one of the most persuasive villains Bruce had faced, this was quite a dangerous development. "Show yourself." Bruce ordered. "I think I'd rather stay in my little hidey hole for now. Just to be on the safe side."

Bruce opened his gauntlet communicator and contacted his most trusted butler.

"Alfred, I'm at the Botencial Gardens. Gordon and Cash are being held prisoner by Ivy. Scarecrow made me an offer, if I take her back to them. I get three extra hours and nothing else will happen to Cash and Gordon."

" _I've seen the broadcast, Master Bruce. Do you trust him on his word?"_

That was a difficult question. Scarecrow was, in any sense of the word, a criminal. Someone who couldn't be trusted, and someone who you shouldn't offer trust in return. He was however, a different kind of criminal. Jonathan's pre-Scarecrow time as a doctor back in Arkham Asylum enforced a strict code. He had a sense of morals, in a way. He knew that what he was doing was wrong, he just can't help his curiosity.

"I do, Alfred. Though I don't think it's a very good offer."

" _We do need the extra time, Master Bruce. Pamela Lilian Isley is a bio-terrorist. She deserves everything they throw at her. Scarecrow has ensured us the safety of both Commissioner Gordon and officer Cash. Something I know you value. Whatever choice you make, Master Bruce, I'll stand right beside you."_


	8. Dealing with leafs

"If we're going to discuss this, I'd rather see you in person." Batman commanded. He was no fool, being trapped outside the Gardens and Ivy hiding inside gave her the upper hand. "I bet you say that to all the girls." Ivy joked. "Scarecrow is after me, Batman. His army is far too big for me to take on. Moreover, I decided to research the new toxin Crane has been developing. It'll destroy every living organism in this city, plants, animals, humans, you name it. It doesn't just kill them however, it's torture. I've seen it with my own eyes. It starts with the hallucinations, your worst fears projected right before your eyes. Then it slowly removes the air from your lungs, killing you in an instant. Here's what I'm going to do, I'm going to give you ten seconds to make up your mind. Either help me fight Scarecrow or I'll slowly strangle these handsome cops." A vine slowly dangled across Gordon's throat.

Batman heard whispers, rumors, about the new toxin Crane had been producing. He started with the production shortly after the 'incident' involving Crane and Croc back at the Asylum. He apparently made his way back to the shores of Gotham through the sewers running underneath Arkham Asylum. Crane had wasted no time in producing his new toxin, several thugs of his old gang supported him and he slowly gained quite a respectable reputation. Bruce even found records that showed Scarecrow was a prisoner back in Arkham City. Strange had found him, him and his production plant, but what building could've functioned as a chemical production plant? Bruce had already started investigating Ace Chemicals, the logical answer, but Crane was, and has always been, smart. There were no traces of him or anyone associated with him back in Ace.

"Scarecrow guaranteed the security of those officers, Ivy. I can't let you keep them hostage." Finally, the roots barricading the entrance started to fall down, revealing Ivy standing in the walkway. She looked bad, sick almost. Her body still suffered heavily from the dose of TITAN she was given. Bruce discovered that due to Ivy's condition, her body has an odd way of disposing harmful chemicals. Ivy was mostly immune, but TITAN was different. It did make her stronger, but she didn't suffer the after effects like Joker did. Ivy's body never let go of the TITAN, it used the TITAN formula as a reserve, something the body could use if one of its systems were to collapse. Ivy had been heavily experimented upon during her stay in Arkham City, Strange found her to be one of Gotham's most interesting villains. During the experiments, something triggered the body to release the dose, and this time, Ivy was definitely suffering the after effects.

"Ivy, you look like,-""Joker?" Ivy interrupted him. "I know, don't mention it, ever again." "I have to deliver you to Scarecrow, it's the only way to buy me some more time." "You trust a man that is currently occupying the city? Have you lost your mind?"

Bruce had to think, what would his father do? What morals did Thomas Wayne have? Would Thomas Wayne give the criminal to the other criminal, ensuring her death but having a bigger chance at the safety of his city? Would Thomas Wayne side with this criminal, most likely causing two officers to die and a small chance at saving his city."

There was a pause. Ivy and Bruce just stared into each other's eyes. There was helplessness in Ivy's eyes, desperation. She needed Bruce to side with her. And then, in just a glimpse, Bruce saw something else. He couldn't quite place it. Was Ivy truly as desperate as she made herself seem?

"Come in, I want to show you something." Ivy stated, wiping the tears of her face. "Her name is Illyana, she is one of Gotham's oldest trees and her roots are located in the center of this building. If Crane were to release his Fear Gas, I'm confident that she can absorb most, if not all, of it."

Bruce started feeling dizzy, something was amiss, the air wasn't what it used to be. "Ivy, iv-"Suddenly, he collapsed. He couldn't breathe, his eyes were still working, Bruce tried shouting, screaming, but nothing could leave his mouth. "You're up." Ivy spoke. Crane, Harley, Two-Face, Penguin and Riddler all showed up around him.

"Did you truly think Ivy was to be trusted, little Bat?" Crane asked.

"I want his head on a pike!" Penguin shouted.

"You're gonna pay, Bat brain, seriously!" Harley gleefully stated.

"Business is going to be booming." Two-Face laughed.

"Riddle me this, what's paralyzed and currently trying to figure out what the heck is going on?" Riddler wondered.

"I'm sorry, Batman, this was the only way."

Bruce tried to make sense out of this, it was all a trap, a charade.

 **Next up**

Claws to die for!

 **A/N :** Hey! You there! Thanks for sticking with this story! This chapter about rounds up the 'Ivy/Scarecrow' deal. All of you Arkham fanatiscs probably figured out most of what my inspiration pulls from, but I'll list in just in case (because, while some game plot points may come up, most of it is blended with my own imagination)

-Illyana is actually a tree in the game, Ivy uses it to absorb a lot of Scarecrow's Fear Toxin, and in the end, is able to use her to absorb all of the Fear Toxin covering the city, with her death being a ultimate sacrifice.

-At the beginning of the game, Ivy makes it clear she is not part of Scarecrow's gang (are the villains actually working together in the game though? :P) because she refused to work with him due to his Toxin killing all plant life.

This is a little twist on the game's plot that I hope you enjoy, as usual, please review and favorite and or follow the story, those are what keeps me going!


	9. Claws to the Rescue

Batman awoke from the darkness that clouded him since what appeared to be moments ago. In front of him was a chair, and on that chair sat a very familiar face. One he had grown to despise but love at the same time. He tried putting the pieces together. What had happened? Ivy and Scarecrow had a falling out, Scarecrow had made a deal that if he handed her over, Cash and Gordon would've been safe. Was that all just a ruse?

"You must feel pretty desperate right about now, Batsy." The man in the chair spoke. That was perhaps the biggest puzzle piece of all, how was that man,- that monster there? "I watched _you_ burn." Batman replied, his voice as monotone as ever. "I know you did, was it like you always imagined? Did it feel like victory to you?" Batman had no answer to that. The man in the chair was that one person who always managed to stump him, to shut him up. "Heh, I bet you're twisted enough that it _did_ actually feel like victory to you." The man stood up and lay a hand on Bruce's shoulder. "I am so proud of you."

After exchanging a meaningful stare, the man returned to his chair and continued. "You must have a buttload of questions. How did the tape get into the GCPD? How did Scarecrow manage to recruit so many villains? And just who the hell is this Arkham Knight character anyway?" The man looked at his sleeve, pretending that he had a watch. "Well, since you're gonna be out of it for a few more minutes, I'd like to take the opportunity to answer some of these questions that are residing in the darkest depths of your mind. Fire away, Bats!"

Batman had to think, he wouldn't ask the questions the man had just mentioned. That would've been _too_ obvious. Bruce knew him like no other, he'd have answers prepared. Answers that could lead to dangerous situations. There was always that one question that had been bugging him. Ever since Arkham City, ever since the cremation.

" _Are you really dead?"_ Batman muttered under his breath.

"Ah, the million dollar question! That answer is something I'll leave up to you. Am I? Did you watch me die? Does Gotham think I'm dead? As long as there is Gotham, as long as there is Batman, there will always be a Joker, looking for you to crack, to break, to drive you into the nuthouse itself. You can't get rid of me, Bats. You and I both know that."

The figure disappeared and Batman got a clearer view of his surroundings. The chair was still there, but was now occupied by someone in an outfit that vaguely resembled his own. Scarecrow stood behind him, ominously glaring. Bruce observed, he was still in the Gardens. His arms and legs were tied to a chair, the knots weren't designed to last, but Bruce knew that wasn't important. He looked to the figure sitting across of him. Two 'eyes' stared back. They weren't really eyes however, more like lights. Blue lights just staring at him. "I see you've awakened." Scarecrow spoke.

" _Crane."_

"The new toxin miss Isley made for us worked like a charm. I needed something you wouldn't have a cure or resistance too, and this seemed to do the job just nicely."

" _What do you want?"_

"I want to destroy Gotham. I want to take every skyscraper in this stinking city and throw in into oblivion."

" _And where does he come into play?"_ Batman nodded towards the Knight.

" _I can speak for myself."_ The Knight replied. Bruce gasped. The voice. It seemed so familiar, it had been distorted, but somewhere he had heard this voice before.

" _I am here because I want to see you suffer. For everything you did to me. Let me explain what happened in the days that you were out."_

Days? Bruce had been locked up here for several days? Nightwing, Robin, Oracle, Alfed, they must've been worried sick.

" _Scarecrow detonated the bomb. Right now, up there, all fear gas. We're currently in the basement of the local Gardens, as you may have noticed. It isn't some sort of hideout, if you want to get clever. Gotham's most notorious criminals are enjoying the chaos so far. Here's where you come in though, I might regret this later, since you're so close to being dead, but we need you, quite frankly."_

Bruce didn't get it. The Knight had an army at his disposal. Why did they need him?

" _The Arkhamites are slowly falling apart, Quinn has gone rogue, claimed that after seeing hallucinations of Joker, she didn't see the point anymore. Even more daring, she attacked our forces."_

"Hello? Any-dy th-?" A voice spoke from inside the cowl. Selina. "I don't know if you can hear me, but things are looking bad. Where the hell have you been?" Bruce found it comforting to hear her voice, but her speech was making it harder for him to listen to what the Knight had to say.

"This is sweet, isn't it? I installed a little speaker after the last time we, ahem, met. I'm surprised you didn't notice it before. Anyway, cowboy, let me help you out."

Mere moments after hanging up on him, an alarm bell went off.

" _Intruder detected, intruder detected, intruder detected."_

Scarecrow and the Knight both looked towards the door and rushed off as soon as they heard the alarm.

This was his chance, Bruce struggled with the knots but finally managed to get them off.

" _Oracle, this is Batman. I'm currently being held hostage in the basement of the Botenical Gardens, I don't know if you're still there, but if you are, I'm back and Crane's going to get what's coming to him."_


	10. Curtains lifted

" _Oracle? Oracle, are you there?"_ Bruce tried to contact his trusted assistant. If he had been held captive for several days, Oracle must've been worried sick. Meanwhile, he observed his new surroundings. The city looked like something straight out of a nightmare. Scarecrow's new toxin had devoured Gotham. It had been a good thing the city was already evacuated, or else the victim count would be huge.

" _Bruce, dear God, Bruce."_ Oracle replied. She took a deep breath. " _We've,- we've failed. Scarecrow's plan went through. What happened to you?"_ "I was held hostage by Scarecrow and his new gang. I need to know everything that happened while I was away." _"First, we tried contacting you, to no avail though. I called Dick from Blüdhaven and he got here as fast as he could. Cassandra was also happy to lend a hand. I ordered the Batwing to circle the city grounds, trying to find you, but they must've masked it up pretty good."_ "Riddler must have helped." Batman concluded. Nygma hadn't forgotten the little run-in they had back in Arkham City. Police reports showed that his mental state was rapidly declining. He was obsessed with getting revenge on Batman, rumors indicated that he had even build a robot-like suit in order to kill him. Bruce didn't have the time to track it down. Oracle continued. " _Two-face and Penguin united forces. I tried monitoring their activities but there's been so much going on. This is far worse than that earthquake we had, Bruce. I can't reach dad, he's probably busy."_ Batman couldn't tell Barbara what was really going on, not now.

" _Harley Quinn left the group, and is actively fighting forces trying to enter her territory near the Sionis Steel Mill. Other criminals are laying low for now. I don't know how many people are currently under the effect of the fear gas. "_

"Thanks Oracle." Batman hang up and contacted Selina to make sure she was alright. Selina explained that she merely activated an alarm before making her exit and was now planning on roaming the city to find 'loot'. "You're afraid, aren't you, my love?" Talia lay a hand on his shoulder. Batman turned around and saw her pale face, her brown hair and her green eyes. "Talia." Bruce had never stopped thinking about her, Arkham City had been her downfall. She had been shot by the Joker. "How?" Talia pointed towards his head. "All in there. Look around, Bruce. This is not the time to be dwelling in memories of the past. This city has fallen, it's up to you to rebuild it. I believe in you. I love you, Bruce." Talia faded away.

Bruce tried to think, think of how to make sense of most of this. The Knight and Scarecrow wanted him to be alive for a reason, combating Quinn's forces couldn't be the only one. There had to be a deeper, more meaningful reason to it. Scarecrow had wanted revenge on both him and Croc for what happened in the Asylum ,did Croc have anything to do with this? Taking a deep breath, Batman had to do what he had always despised from the very beginning of his career. He had to ask for help. "Tim, I'm back in Gotham. No time to talk. I want you to go after Harley Quinn. She's combating the drones flying around and could very well prove to be an ally, thread carefully and thoughtful." Before Tim could reply, Bruce ended the communication and called Dick. "Nightwing, I want you to find out what Penguin and Two-Face are up too. Oracle had a tough time tracking their activities and with the city's current situation I need to know everything that transpires." "Cassandra, I want you to track down Commissioner James Gordon and Officer Cash. They're most likely around the Gardens and are heavily guarded. That should, by now, be no problem for you though."

Batman himself would swing by the GCPD station and see how they were holding up. He would furthermore get to the bottom of the Bane evidence case situation. Who left that Joker CD? How was it recorded? He grabbed his grapnel launcher and grappled on to the roof of a large skyscraper, but just as lightning struck, he could see a silhouette standing on the other end of his rope. The mysterious figure grabbed a knife and sliced the rope. Bruce, already grappling, quickly grabbed one of the ledges of the skyscraper. His cape had already been dipped in fear gas but he quickly made his way up. Looking towards the roof, he could see the figure looking down at him, grinning, before walking away. Having made his way up to the roof, the figure was nowhere to be seen.

Bruce tried to forget about it and made his way to the GCPD.

The station was still the horrible mess it had been when Bruce left. Lights were flickering and bodies were laying everywhere. Remnants of clay were splattered on the walls. Something new had appeared though. A small, leather notebook lay on the floor. Bruce picked it up and started reading.

" _March 5_ _th_ _, 7:11 AM_

 _I've come to respect him, his ways and his beliefs. The mere notion of someone trying to save this city had always been ridiculous to me. This city is not worth saving. The criminals that roam in this stinking hellhole are all worthy of only one final punishment, death. He tries to save lives. Lives belonging to likes of psychopath's like the Joker, or mob bosses like Penguin. Does he not see they are not worth saving? Granted, some of them are rather interesting. Joker had been quite open about his way of thinking during our sessions in Arkham and Blackgate. I've come to grow a certain respect for him. This does not, however, change my judgement of him. He, along with every other criminal that I hold responsible for changing the reputation this city once had, deserve to suffer. This includes the Caped Crusader, the poor thing has no idea, but I managed to figure the big puzzle out. I can now say that the mysterious vigilante, the hero Gotham did not earn but received nonetheless, is Bruce Wayne._

 _Signed,_

 _Hugo Strange"_


	11. He knew

**A/N : I know I said that upcoming chapters would only be for Batman's POV, but I decided to retract that decision. Sticking to one point of view works for the game, but for a story that has a relatively large scale like this, not so much. The upcoming chapters will be from Robin's, Dick's and Cassandra's point of view as Batman sends them on their missions.**

" _Thread carefully and thoughtfully."_ What the hell was just that? Bruce hadn't talked to them in over a week and suddenly he decided to ring Tim up again? The days Bruce was missing were a mess. Barbara got stressed out trying to track him down. In the beginning he, Cassandra and Dick were trying to find him, but after a few days Tim focused on trying to find Scarecrow, to stop this madness and to prevent that bomb from detonating. His plan made so little sense looking back at it. For instance, why would Scarecrow want the city empty when he wanted to cover it in fear gas?

The mansion had been in turmoil as well. It seems as if Gotham needed a small breather, but after Hush's big speech crowds started to gather, started demanding answers as to why a man dressed up in a bat costume was defending their city. It had been hard, on all of them. Tim cleared his head and looked at the gassed out wasteland in front of him, the dark yellow, orange fear gas covering the city. He had failed then, but now he needed to focus, focus on finding Quinn and figure out what in the hell was going on. Harley had made her home in the Steel Mill, probably for a sense of nostalgia. It had been her hideout in Arkham City, after all. The walls of the prison located in the heart of Gotham were still up. Officials hadn't had the time to tear them down yet; Scarecrow's attack was swift and caught them off guard.

"Barb, you there?" _"What's up?"_ Tim squinted his eyes. "There's a body nailed to one of the stoves of the Steel Mill. Looks like a man in a fancy suit, mid 40's. I'll keep you updated." Two snipers were guarding Harley's base of operations, but their bright red lasers gave away their position. Like he was trained to, Tim quickly took them out, knocking both their heads against each other and approached closer to the body. _"Any news?"_ Barbara asked. Tim inspected the face. There were words written on top of the body, in blood. "Don't mess with us, dorks." Tim looked at the face again. "Victim's name is Thomas Elliot. The guy that gave Bruce's speech a while earlier, remember him?" It was quite odd seeing the corpse of someone that looked a hell of a lot like Bruce pinned up like this. There were rumors Thomas was working together with Scarecrow and The Knight, this was probably Harley's way of taking revenge.

" _Thomas Elliot? Hush? Tim, that's huge. I'll be sure to let Bruce know. Good job."_ Tim ended communication and explored the mill further. He had never been here, purely seen glimpses of it back when Harley kidnapped Bruce. "Quinn, you in here?" the walls were filled with puns Harley had made up. " _In comes the day, away with the knight." "Scarecow!"_ were just a few that Tim had spotted.

"Is that you, Bird-Brain?" Harley appeared at the end of a hallway. "It's been a long time." Harley looked like a complete mess, she had never quite gotten over the death of Joker. She wore one black boot and a red one. A black corset and what appeared to be her nurse uniform back in Arkham Asylum. Instead of her skirt back in the day however, she opted for a red and black legging. Her hair hadn't been in pigtails anymore and she dyed her ends black. "Great to see you again, Harleen." Tim began, taking a deep breath. Her mental state had completely changed ever since Joker died. "Honor's all yours, Boy Scout." "Listen, I'd heard we had a common enemy, I'm not here to fight you. I'm here to help you."

"Who put you up to this, huh? Was it Batman? Wasn't he man enough to face me all by himself? After all the things I did. Killing Sharp wasn't easy, ya know!"

"I bet it wasn't. Can we just talk, Harley? Please?"

Lights turned on and the hallway was finally lit up so Robin could see Harley more clearly. She wasn't armed and approached him at a soft pace. "Let's." Harley concluded.

It felt rather uneasy walking beside her, considering this was the woman who tried to kill him a few months ago. She probably realized she had no one to go. Robin seized the opportunity and locked her in cuffs. Harley took a deep breath and opened her mouth to say something, but reminded herself that she should've seen this coming and closed it again. "Batman suggested that maybe we can help each other." Robin said. "No way am I ever going to work with the same man that killed everything I ever loved, and ever will love."

"Why'd you end up splitting with that little group of yours anyway?" Robin grabbed a chair and sat Harley down on it. "Because I saw _him_." She whispered and looked up at Robin. He could see tears beginning to form in her eyes, a hint of emotion. "You _saw_ Joker?" Tim asked. Harley nodded and started sobbing. "I know, I know he's dead, but I did. I saw him, Bird-Brain! He talked to me!" Robin had to ask a question, but he dreaded the answer. "What did he say?" Harley shook her head. "He gave me this." She tried to reach into her pockets but upon realizing her hands were cuffed nodded for Robin to search her pockets. Robin pulled out a small DVD. Tim took out one of the holographic DVD players he had made in his earlier days as Robin and put it in. "Watch it, please." Harley begged.

" _In the event of my death, play me."_ It was Joker's voice, undeniably.

" _Harley, if you're watching this it means one of those costumed freaks finally gave in and snapped my neck. Fear not, however, as I've got plenty more jokes for you to make. Did I ever tell you how Bat's and I met? It was one of Gotham's worst winters. I decided to do a little role-play and kidnapped Roman Sionis. Just for shizzles and giggles I put a bounty on Bat's head and ever since that, he's had it out for me. Now, I want you to go to my cell in ol' Arkham Asylum and find three photos. They're in the top drawer, left wall. I want you to take them and to put them on billboards, put them everywhere! The right people will notice. It's going to be a cracker!"_

"He wanted you to collect pictures? Did you?" Harley nodded. "I was 'bout to spread 'em but then Scarecrow came swooping in. The photo's are kinda vague, but maybe they weren't meant for me." "Where are they?" Tim asked. Harley took a deep breath and kept her mouth shut. Tim rolled his eyes and grabbed a roll of duct tape. "Not aga,-" He put a piece on top of Harley's mouth and slowly inspected the room. After a rough ten minutes of searching he opened up a drawer and found the photos Joker mentioned. He inspected them, only to drop them on the floor in shock.

The first photo was a photo of Joker smiling to the left. To the right was a young boy and his parents as they were about to get mugged.

The second photo was the same composition. Joker was smiling in the left, his red lipstick reflecting on the circus lights. To the right were the Flying Graysons performing. The photo showed two of the acrobats falling.

The third photo was the only one Tim was somewhat familiar with. Joker smiling and to the right was Barb. Undressed except for her lingerie and bleeding to death.

"Barb, I think we have a problem. I think he knew."


End file.
